Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-22
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Some people say that in all levels of education, from primary schools to universities, too much time is spent on learning facts and not enough on learning practical skills.
Do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Education is becoming serious topic of discussion from Primary schools to universities, where appropriate approach of learning is a main factor nowadays. Some people say significant time is spent for theoretical insturction time, whereas practical skills have been receiving less attention.I agree to former view that academic institutions are majorly focusing on theoretical facts instead of the practical knowledge.
Learning method in schools and universities play a vital role in a student's academic achievement to get a successful career as an adult. Firstly, academic entities are currently focusing on a student's grade to either earn better image in an education market or to keep their reputation consistent. Practical knowledge stands out as an increase in the overall budget of schools and universities to install equipments and maintain them. Moreover, allocation of new instructors becomes necessary for instruction to the students and to follow safety protocols brings additional cost to their overall budget. For instance, if the schools are providing chemistry labs for the students, the institutions have to allocate professors and install equipments such as microscope and various chemicals, etc.
Furthermore, institutions might also have to support sports activities such as basket ball, Volley ball and other sports. If the students focus more on practical activities they might end
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response presents a clear position agreeing with the prompt, stating that academic institutions focus excessively on theoretical facts rather than practical knowledge. However, the task achievement is significantly constrained by two main factors. First, the essay is incomplete, abruptly cutting off at 209 words, which fails to meet the minimum requirement of 250 words. This incomplete state prevents full development of the ideas introduced in the body paragraphs, leaving arguments about financial budgets and sports activities under-developed and lacking a proper conclusion. Consequently, the response can only be awarded a band 5.0 for task achievement, as the ideas are limited and truncated.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates some logical organization with an introduction that sets up the topic and states the writer's position. Paragraphing is attempted, though the second body paragraph is visibly incomplete. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'For instance' are used to connect ideas, but referencing and transitions are sometimes mechanical or abrupt. The lack of a concluding paragraph and the abrupt termination of the text disrupt the overall progression and logical flow of the argument. Therefore, the coherence and cohesion reflect a band 5.5, showing basic organizational structure with noticeable flaws in progression and completion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for an academic discussion, utilizing terms such as 'theoretical instruction', 'academic entities', and 'safety protocols'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations throughout the text. For instance, 'Education is becoming serious topic' misses an article, 'insturction' contains a spelling error, and phrases like 'earn better image in an education market' sound unnatural. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the general topic, these persistent errors in word choice and spelling place the lexical resource score at a band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the conditional construction 'if the schools are providing chemistry labs...'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several missing articles (e.g., 'becoming serious topic', 'in education market'), spelling mistakes like 'insturction' and 'equipments' (equipment is uncountable), and punctuation issues. Furthermore, the abrupt ending leaves a sentence structurally incomplete ('If the students focus more on practical activities they might end'). Due to the frequency of these errors and the incomplete structure, a band 5.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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